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Chris Russo, Suzyn Waldman and Jeff Smulyan to Be Inducted into Radio Hall of Fame

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The Museum of Broadcast Communications has announced the selection of three new inductees from sports radio into the Radio Hall of Fame for 2022.

Chris “Mad Dog” Russo from Sirius XM, Suzyn Waldman from the New York Yankees Radio Network/WFAN and Jeff Smulyan, President and CEO of Emmis Communications will each be honored with an in-person ceremony on Tuesday, November 1, 2022 in Chicago.

“Congratulations to each member of the 2022 Class of Inductees,” said Kraig T. Kitchin, Co-Chair of the Radio Hall of Fame. “Our forthcoming inductees have made a wonderful impact on the lives of their listeners and our industry. We’re thrilled to be able to celebrate their respective careers and honor them with an induction to the Radio Hall of Fame”.

The trio will be part of a nine-member class that will be honored. Six of the inductees were determined by a voting participant panel comprised of more than 800 industry professionals and three inductees were voted on by the Radio Hall of Fame Nominating Committee.

It is an honor to induct nine worthy individuals to the Radio Hall of Fame,” Dennis Green, Co-Chair of the Radio Hall of Fame, remarked. “This year was our highest voter participation ever and the radio industry picked an amazing, diverse class of broadcasters and executives that we are proud to call Hall of Famers. These individuals have made a lasting impact on this amazing industry, cementing their place as part of the legacy that makes radio special.”

A Marvel Misstep Is A Good Reminder That The Audience’s Time is Valuable

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Did you spend this past weekend paying attention to the news coming out of the Marvel presentation in Hall H? Is San Diego Comic-Con a subject that dominates your Twitter feed this time each year?

By now, no one in our industry, in our format even, should be caught off-guard by just how much the guy that lives and dies with his fantasy football team also cares about who will play Reed Richards in the Fantastic 4 movie. The world isn’t divided into jocks and nerds anymore, and Marvel has developed a reputation for delivering more quality than garbage.

That is why I was a little surprised by what I saw come across my timeline on Saturday night.

Marvel has kind of been wandering the wilderness in the last couple of years. Ever since Spider-Man: Far From Home concluded the Infinity Saga, it hasn’t really seemed like the company knows what its next over-arching story will be. Each of the MCU’s phases has ended with a major team-up event, but it turns out that phase 4, which began with Black Widow in July of 2021, will end with more of a whimper than a bang.

How does this relate to sports radio exactly? Well, it isn’t so much about the way phase 4 will end. The lesson is in what phase 4 was.

Kevin Feige, the boss at Marvel Studios, revealed that the focus of phases 5 & 6 will be the multiple universes that were introduced in phase 4. In total, phase 4 was composed of fifteen entries – seven movies and eight TV shows. The multi-verse played a role in six of them.

So, what exactly were we doing with the other 60% of those titles?

This is the lesson for sports radio: know the story you are telling or the point you are making. Everything you do and every point you make should be in service of the larger idea. If they aren’t, they are wasting time and weakening your content.

As a fan of the MCU, I am actually not super jazzed about the multi-verse, and I enjoyed titles like Moon Knight, Shang Chi, and Falcon & the Winter Soldier where the idea just never came up. After Saturday night’s presentation though, I am left wondering why those movies and shows even existed. No matter how good they were, they end up not really being in service of anything we’re building.

Where are you starting your segments? How much dicking around are you doing coming out of a break? Are you hitting your listener with your overall point as quickly as you can or are you building to it, like the twist in a great mystery?

No matter what the truth is, as a viewer, I will think of Marvel’s phase 4 as the company trying to figure out where it was going. There was no obvious goal presented out of the gate and not enough pillars along the way to remind me what matters.

Starting a segment strong is the best way to ensure a strong finish. It is the road map that tells your listeners they can trust that you have a real plan. Come out of the gate with the thesis of the argument you are going to make and present your evidence and points along the way.

No matter what Kevin Feige or any Marvel apologists may say about phase 4, I will always believe the studio went in without a plan of how it wanted to follow up Avengers: End Game. We got a few stories about multiple universes, but we got just as many stories about magic and about humans versus celestial beings. The audience couldn’t latch onto any particular throughline.

Don’t do that to your audience.

Let’s put sports radio in the context of the MCU. Think of your segment as an individual phase. Each minute is a movie or TV show. How much would 60% irrelevancy derail you?

Imagine teasing a segment on why the Jazz should hold onto Donovan Mitchell until someone meets their full asking price. Now imagine you come back from the break and use nearly seven of the eleven minutes in the segment to talk about college football realignment. Do you think any listener would walk away feeling like they got the content they were looking forward to?

Naturally entertaining conversationalists matter in radio. People that can make others pay attention are literally the bedrock of all entertainment, but those people need taskmasters. They need someone that knows the end goal and is making sure their team is constantly moving in that direction.

It really does feel like Marvel has been missing that for phase 4. Take a lesson from that company’s mistake so you do not have to make the same one yourself.

Jason Benetti Leaving ESPN for FOX

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Brett McMurphy of Action Network reported on Sunday night ESPN’s play-by-play man Jason Benetti is about to be former ESPN play-by-play man.

McMurphy reports that Benetti will leave ESPN for FOX Sports and become the voice of the network’s No. 2 college football broadcast team alongside Brock Huard.

The rumor of a potential deal was reported on Friday. Andrew Marchand also added to the report saying that if the Big Ten had its media deal finalized, NBC would have been very interested in his talents as well.

Mike Lindell Still Pursuing 2020 Election Theories

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If you thought the ink was dry and the door was shut on the alleged cheating scandal related to the 2020 Presidential Election, think again.

In many respects, it may only just be the beginning.

Late last week, an Arizona federal judge heard arguments about the dependability and corruptibility of electronic voting machines. The hearing was part of a lawsuit brought forth by Kari Lake, the Republican surging in her candidacy for governor in the state, and Republican Secretary of State candidate, Mark Finchem. The two are suing the Arizona Secretary of State’s office, saying that voting machines cannot be trusted.

As the hearings were taking place Thursday, entrepreneur and entertainer Mike Lindell joined RSBN’s Brian Glenn to discuss the issue.

“It’s a big breakthrough, it really is,” he told Glenn. “This is a preliminary injunction to get rid of the machines. Remember, January 9th is when I got the full-blown evidence out that it was all machines with the bigger numbers. Obviously, now we have 2000 Mules, all the other kinds of cheating. But if we don’t get rid of the machines, we lose our country. It’s as simple as that.”

Lindell, the iconoclastic CEO of My Pillow, has been on a very public mission to uncover the truth since multiple irregularities have surfaced related to the election results.

RSBN has been one of the few media outlets allowing their hosts to voice independent, non-mainstream thoughts regarding the 2020 Election results and unabashedly voice their support and advocacy for President Trump.

Lindell has been a vocal Trump supporter who says it should be a non-partisan issue to foster clean, accurate, unassailable elections.

“This was a different kind of evidence. It was showing that all machines, no matter what brand, it doesn’t matter what brand they are. They are all either A, they can make mistakes, such as in Georgia. This primary a couple months ago. Three Democrats, she got zero votes in her own precinct. Now call it a cheat or whatever; they shoulda gave her at least two votes, her and her husband. But they didn’t,” Lindell said. “Let’s say it was what Brad Raffensberger called it because they found three thousand, seven hundred some votes. They found the votes, they say, and it put her from third to first.”

As of this weekend, the full, detailed conversation between Lindell and Glenn could be viewed at RSBNetwork.com.

Lindell said the main theory behind his activism on behalf of President Trump was actually brought up during last week’s arguments.

“When one person can hit a button and take millions of votes. The other way, with paper and hand count, millions upon millions of people would all have to be a big cabal and cheat together and go, ‘come on, they’re not going to notice us all cheating.’ And that’s where it becomes basically an impossibility of this kind of….we’re in another era,” Lindell said. “It’s kind of like this. If you’re a teller at a bank and you’re stealing any cash or any kind of money, how much can you take as one person? Under camera, how much can you take, physical money? Or how much can you take if you hack into the system and go, blip blip? That’s it. That’s where we’re at.”

Glenn referred to the testimony of a witness from Alabama, who said he hacked voting machines in five minutes “despite what the experts say.”

Lindell recalled an incident from the Cyber Symposium he hosted last August, which delved deeper into electronic voting integrity.

“We had all the cyber guys there, from all parts of the country, all parts of the world. We were doing a mock election with the machines in the other room,” Lindell recalled. “We had it all set up, Brian. We went to do the mock election, and somebody hacked in from the table out in the main floor in less than five minutes. We had to do a complete reset!”

On Friday evening’s RSBN broadcast, preceding President Trump’s rally speech in Prescott, Arizona, Lindell said Biden’s questionable win in 2020 will be seen as a long-term blessing-in-disguise. He told Glenn and co-host Christina Bobb that only because of that outcome, and the myriad of inconsistencies it brought forth, are Americans now able to see the true, untrustworthy underbelly of mechanized voting across the country.

Indeed, a Rasmussen poll from late last year showed that a whopping 56% of voters feel that cheating had an effect on Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump in 2020.

As Lindell dined Thursday evening with Lake, one can imagine the two discussing the possible steps they could take to protect election integrity should she become the nominee and win the state’s governorship in November.

“No matter what happens, this is a start,” Lindell said, noting that last week was just the 2nd judge to date who has looked at evidence related to alleged voting machine irregularities. “I’ve said it before, everybody. The judges are gonna help bring back our country.”

Millions of Americans sympathetic to Lindell’s views may feel that this modern subset of leaders, activists, politicians, and media voices will also play a crucial role.

Google Makes Bid for NFL Sunday Ticket

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Apple, Amazon and Disney have all been reported as entities interested in the NFL Sunday Ticket package. One we hadn’t heard yet: Google.

According to the New York TimesGoogle has also made an offer for service with the idea of streaming the NFL out-of-market games on YouTube.

NFL media executive Brian Rolapp sent the Times a written statement saying that “A number of companies” are in a good position to win the bidding process and that the NFL expects to have that announcement ready to be made “in the coming months.”

The Times reports that the delay for the deal is the NFL’s desire to add multiple other league properties into the deal including the RedZone channel.

Despite the news of Google’s interest, Apple is still the perceived leader for the deal.

Former 104.5 The Zone Morning Host Mark Howard Dies at 65

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Devastating news hit the city of Nashville on Sunday when it was learned that Mark Howard, veteran sports broadcaster in both television and radio, died at the age of 65.

The news was revealed by his friend David Boclair. It was confirmed to the Tennessean by his wife Debra.

Howard, whose whose real name was Howard Mark Levenson was a popular sports anchor for over 20-plus years at NewsChannel 5 in Nashville.

“My heart’s broken,” said retired NewsChannel 5 sports director Hope Hines. “I’ve lost one of my best and dearest friends. He was more like a son to me and he felt the same way, I was a father-like figure in many ways to him. I’m heartbroken for Jack his son, and Debra. He was a great, great talent.”

Howard joined The Zone, 104.5-FM in the Music City in 2004 when he co-hosted the Wake Up Zone with Kevin Ingram and Frank Wycheck. That show would dominate morning drive in the city for years. He left the show in 2020 after 21 years at The Zone.

“It’s been a great run. The (Wake Up Zone) show ran for 16 years with me and Kevin,” Howard said at the time. “They were some of the best years of my life. I’ve got nothing really but good things to say about my experiences there.”

Ingram said Howard was influential in bringing him to The Zone.

“I loved working with Mark, but the thing about Mark was that he was a great friend,” Ingram said. “There weren’t many people who were more supportive of me or my career than Mark. He was always very encouraging and gave good advice. There aren’t too many people you’ll find who were more knowledgeable about sports than Mark. It was almost scary how much he knew, especially about baseball.”

The Zone released a statement sending their condolences.

The station plans a day full of tributes and memories of Howard.

Angelo Cataldi Throws Out First Pitch, Calls an Inning of Phillies Game

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Angelo Cataldi is winding down his final year on the air with 94WIP and the Philadelphia Phillies wanted to show their appreciation.

The Phillies asked Cataldi to throw out the first pitch ahead of their Sunday game with the Chicago Cubs. Cataldi said he practiced for the first pitch and it showed with a respectable effort from just in front of the mound.

Cataldi also got the opportunity to do radio play-by-play for the third inning on SportsRadio94WIP. The Cubs took advantage of that and scored two runs, including a home run.

“No! How did that happen, Cataldi said after the home run. “Said something, I’m alone. Larry [Andersen] left!”

Pat McAfee Reacts to Vince McMahon’s Retirement

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On Friday, the stunning announcement was made by Vince McMahon to retire from his post as the head of WWE.

While this was something that many saw as inevitable, it was hardly a formality. When McMahon tweeted the news, the sports world was taken aback. McMahon is thoroughly involved in a probe by the company regarding alleged ‘hush money’ paid to women throughout the years in exchange for their silence regarding alleged sexual improprieties.

One very public personality made his feelings known about his feelings for the former WWE Chairman. McAfee, who is the current color commentator for WWE’s Friday Night program, SmackDown, tweeted a goodbye message.

“Thank you 4 the decades of dedication to entertainment. Thank you 4 the miles you traveled. Thank you 4 the sacrifices. Thank you 4 the priceless business advice. Thank you 4 the opportunity to be a WWE SUPERSTAR @VinceMcMahon. You’re not perfect..but you’re forever a legend”.

Jason Benetti In Talks With FOX to Be No. 2 College Football Announcer

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Jason Benetti is currently in discussions with FOX Sports to take on the number two booth for the network’s college football broadcasts.

Benetti, who is with ESPN now and is voice of the Chicago White Sox television broadcasts as well as Peacock’s MLB Sunday Leadoff game, would join Brock Huard in the booth.

If Benetti does jump from ESPN to FOX, it would continue to lift his stature with access to more high-profile college football games. FOX currently has, and expects to retain, the primary rights for the Big Ten’s broadcasts. At ESPN, Benetti was a favorite while mainly calling Group of Five games.

This potential move would not affect his work with the Chicago White Sox on NBC Sports Chicago, according to the report.

Bob Costas Is Doing the Exact Amount of Appearances He Wants To

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Bob Costas has managed to get what he considers his perfect working schedule at the age of 70.

Speaking to Newsday ahead of a Yankees/Mets game that he will call on TBS on Tuesday, the veteran broadcaster says that what he has now is the schedule that suits him best.

“This is exactly the way I wanted it to be,” said Costas. “I only wanted to do the things I’m most interested in doing and only as much volume as I feel comfortable with.”

Costas will broadcast twenty regular season games for TBS and the MLB Network.

“Both MLB and TBS are great about the logistics of my schedule. So in cooperation with them, I get to pick the games that I do that work out best for me, schedule-wise and geographically.”

In addition to his baseball broadcast duties, which also includes involvement with Turner Sports’ coverage of the American League, Costas also contributes sports commentary for CNN and does his interview show Back on the Record that airs four0times-a-year on HBO.

Costas added, “It feels like exactly what I should be doing now at exactly the level of appearances.”